Black cinema takes centre stage at the 70th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), running from 7th to 18th October 2026. This is your guide on what to see, who’s going to be there, what needs a ticket and what’s free (yes, there are free vibes too!).
BFI Southbank, the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall and cinemas across London will come alive with an action packed programme celebrating standout Black talent.
With World Premieres, International Premieres and competitions, here’s how to be part of it.
Galas
Roll out the red carpet
The Red Carpet lands for the International Premiere of I Love Boosters on Friday 9th October 2026 at 21:15.
Directed by Boots Riley, with an all star cast including Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie and LaKeith Stanfield. Riley returns to LFF with another idiosyncratic, anti-capitalist vision.
Also getting the Red Carpet treatment is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother on Saturday 17th October 2026 at 17:45. A gripping, inventive thriller with BAFTA and two-time Oscar® winner Mahershala Ali in the leading role. One not to miss.
Tony winner, two-time Grammy winner, Emmy winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo, will also grace the red carpet for her leading role in Prima Facie. A poignant film where she performs as a barrister fighting for justice in an adaptation of Suzie Miller’s globally acclaimed play.
The Gala for Prima Facie will take place on Tuesday 13th October 2026 at 21:15.
The Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall will form the backdrop for the Festival’s programme of Galas. A 2,500-seat venue with an 18-metre screen and full high-spec 7.1 channel surround sound.
Get your outfits ready and book early! Tickets released on 17th September 2026 on the BFI Website. BFI Member? Head over there now to book.
PREMIERES
SEEING IT HERE FIRST
Premiere’s include The World Premiere of Anthony Wonke’s British boxing biopic In the Shadows on Friday 9th October 2026 at 18:15, Vue West End and The International Premiere of I Love Boosters, highlighted above.
First Feature Competition
The Sutherland Award recognises the most original and imaginative directorial debut.
Ashley Walters’ directorial debut, set in a young offenders institute, is a strikingly shot and sensitively made depiction of survival, surprise connections and redemption.
This Cannes Camera d’Or winner unfolds in the shadow of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, exploring its legacy and the possibility of forgiveness.
In a bustling Lagos, a solitary female taxi driver finds community among a group of sex workers as she transports them around the city.
documentary SPECIAL PRESENTAtION
14th
Multi award winning Director AvaDuVernay presents a special presentation of the Documentary 14th. Visiting the US constitution again ten years after the Emmy award-winning 13th.
Available to book here from 17th September 2026 or book now if a BFI Member.
Thematic strands
Other Films with a black focus or black lead are grouped into the following themes on the 70th BFI London Film Festival website. All bookings open on 17th September 2026 unless a BFI Member or BFI Patron who can book now.
Love
Dare
Journey
In the Shadows (Including World Premiere)
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
Create
Experimenta
O River, We Forced You to Chew Up Their Crops (A Part of a Chorus that Carries Series of Shorts)
An Unimaginable Leap (Part of the Tracing Islands Series of Shorts)
Family
Shorts
Altered States
- (Failing to Make) A Documentary About My Sudanese Family
- White Musk
- FarEye
I See Myself
- The Animals
- Hindsight
- Last Minute
- Treasure Island
- Bermuda Riots are Different
Screen Talks
hear it straight from them
Multi award winning Director Ava DuVernay, BAFTA and Oscar Winning Actor Mahershala Ali, Tony, Emmy and two-time Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo, and BIFA and Independent Spirit Award winning actress Naomi Ackie, will share insights from their careers.
Each Screen Talk runs for 75 minutes. Check our previous article for more details on dates and booking links. The Screen Talks are partnered with Mastercard.
Can’t make it in person? Catch the Screen Talks afterwards on BFI Player and BFI YouTube.
Documentary and Short Film Competitions
Films screening in the Documentary Competition include Once Upon a Time in Harlem, from William Greaves and David Greaves. It had its World Premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the L’Œil d’or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
In the Short Film Competition for Best Short Film, look out for How to Hide It, from Ramla Ali and Richard A. Moore, and Treasure Island, from Miryam Charles.
LFF Audience award
Cast your vote
Audiences are invited to vote for their favourite works from the Festival. In 2025, Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story won the LFF Audience Award for Best British Discovery. Your votes decide the 2026 winners for the LFF Audience Award: Best Feature Film and LFF Audience Award: Best British Feature Film.
Voting opens at 10:00 on Wednesday 7th October 2026 and closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 21st October 2026. Visit the BFI Website to take part. Short films, series, immersive works and games, and restorations are not eligible.
LFF Expanded
step into new dimensions
LFF Expanded invites audiences to experience new ways of telling stories on screen. Through Immersive Art, Extended Reality and video gaming at St Martin-in-the-Fields, BFI IMAX and the BFI Southbank Atrium.
The BFI IMAX, the UK’s largest screen forms the back drop for the Installation Premiere of Red the Ocean Around U. An AI-guided digital environment written by Orion Facey and produced by CROSSLUCID Studio. The experience adapts to each visitor, forming a unique experience with world class sound and projection technology from the BFI IMAX.
The Solomon Islands come alive through SOLWATA, a mixed reality experience narrated by Mark Ruffalo at the VR Lounge in the BFI Southbank Atrium. Well worth a visit.
LFF for Free
Talks, panels and workshops
Yes, there are free vibes too! Alongside the Galas and Screen Talks, LFF runs a free public programme of talks, panels and workshops at BFI Southbank. Tickets are released on Thursday 1st October 2026 at 10am. Note that LFF for Free events are over allocated to account for no-shows, so tickets don’t guarantee entry. It’s first-come, first-served so arrive early! Doors open 15 minutes before the advertised time.
Here are some picks to build skills and connect with community:
No Way Out? Institutions and Black British Screen Stories
Sun 18 Oct, 14:00, BFI Southbank Screen NFT4. Using clips from Top Boy, Blue Story, Adulthood and Animol (LFF 2026), this talk explores masculinity, identity and belonging in Black British storytelling. In partnership with We Are Parable and The British Blacklist.
The Politics of Looking Good
Sat 10 Oct, 14:00, BFI Southbank Screen NFT4. A panel inspired by I Love Boosters, asking whether fashion — from thrifting to boosting — can be a form of resistance. Hosted by Daniel Peters, founder of Fashion Minority Report.
The Laughter of the Unheard: How Moving Image Shapes Collective Joy
Sun 18 Oct, 13:30, BFI Southbank The Blue Room. A look at how archive footage, documentary and community-made films capture and preserve collective joy. In partnership with Nourishment.
Declare Independence: Film Publishing Beyond the Mainstream
Sun 11 Oct, 11:00, BFI Reuben Library. Editors from Cinema Year Zero, sweet-thang zine and The Film Pupil Magazine on building platforms outside the mainstream press.
How to Start a Podcast: Passion Podcasting and Fan Shows
Sat 10 Oct, 12:00, BFI Southbank Screen NFT4.
Made of Many: Reclaiming Identity Through Storytelling
Sun 18 Oct, 16:00, BFI Southbank The Blue Room. A free, interactive workshop exploring identity through film and the stories we choose to tell.
Beyond central London
The Festival continues at partner venues across London and nationwide, including BAFTA award-winning charity MediCinema, which brings films to state-of-the-art cinemas in UK hospitals so patients can attend from their beds, wheelchairs and medical equipment.
DJ Nights
Chill at the BFI Bar
Winding down after a screening or just want to catch film festival vibes through music? Head to the BFI Bar for a run of festival club nights. The best bit…there’s no booking required.
NYC After Dark
Friday 9th October 2026, 21:00. A DJ night inspired by the 1980s New York of Ira Sachs’ The Man I Love.
Ritmos de América Latina
Saturday 10th October, 21:00. A night on the dance floor celebrating the spirit of Latin American film, with music from across the region.
7 Miles Out: Journey to The Haçienda
Friday 16th October, 21:00. DJ Terry T-Rex takes you through the indie dance, acid house, Balearic sounds and warehouse classics that shaped a generation.
Club Labor: Back to 2016
Saturday 17th Oct, 21:00. A nostalgic trip back to 2016, celebrating the year’s unforgettable hits.
All nights take place at BFI Southbank, BFI Bar.
discounts and accessible pricing
Affordable ticket options are available across the festival, including a limited number of £10 tickets for London screenings and £6 tickets for audiences aged 25 and under.
FAMILY screenings offer tickets from £6 for children and £10 for adults. Subject to availability, £6 on the day tickets are available to audiences receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Jobseekers Allowance.
BFI Members early access
BFI Members can access bookings across the Festival already.
Visiting London?
Sea Containers London is the Festival’s Official Hotel Partner. Get in touch for the best rates.
with thanks
The 70th BFI London Film Festival is made possible by a dedicated group of Donors, the Auteurs Circle, Patrons, BFI Members and volunteers, alongside sponsors and partners including Amazon MGM Studios, Apple TV, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Comcast NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery — plus in-kind partners keeping guests refreshed and supplying best-in-class on-screen technology.
Support Black cinema
Get in touch and let us know which events, galas or panels you enjoyed most. We want to hear it all. Tag us @mymulage on Social Media to connect.
See you at the Festival!